Automatic air-brake hose-coupling.



G. W. RHODES.

AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE HOSE COUPLING.

Arm-10mm! nun In 12, 1908.

905,582. Patented Dec. 1,1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE HOSE GOUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED IA! 12, 1908.

905,582. Patented Dec. 1, 190's.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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I 64mm.

G. W. RHODES.

AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE HOSE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1908.

905,582. I Patented Dec. 1, 1908,

s SHBETSSHBET a.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLIE w. RHODES, or BUENA VISTA, VIRGINIA, ASSlGNOR OF ONE-HALF To HENRY e.

ELLIOTT, or BUENA VISTA, VIRGINIA.

auroma'r'io em-3am nose-commute.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

' Application filed Kayla, 1908. sum No. 482,4.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, CHARLIE W. RHonEs,

a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at.

This invention comprehends'certain new and useful improvements in automatic air brake hose couplers, and the invention has for its primary object a simple durable and efiicient construction of a mechanism arranged to automatically couple the train pipe hose connections of two cars when the whether on a straight track or a curve, the parts-being soarranged that the coupling of the train pipe hose will be positive e fecte'd and the parts properly guided towards each other for such positive action. And a further object of the invention is, in addition to the coupling mechanism, an improved automatic means for opening. the cocks in the couplers simultaneously with the joining thereof.

' With these and other objects in view, as

will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combina--- tion of parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and then oint out'the novel tures in the appen ed claims.

For a full understanding of the invention,-

reference is to be had to the following de-. scription and accompanying drawings, in which: s

Figure 1 is a top plan iiiew, with parts in section of my improved automatic air brake hose coupler; Fig. 2 is a side elevation there- 'of, with a part in section; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view 'on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail view of a portion of one coupler; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of two members of a coupling shown connected toether; Fig. 6 is-a top. plan viewthereof; ig. 7 is a e ling member arrange tuation of the cock thereof upon the joining of two such members; Fig. '8 is a detail perspective view on an enlarged scale of one of t e scoops employed and its. concomitant parts; Fig. 9 is a simila'r View of a complemental scoop; Fig. 10 is a detail perspective embodyin tail perspective view of a-cou'p-- --for the automatic acview of one of the vertically movable scoops; and, Fig. 11 is a perspective view of two couplers connected together, said couplers the means for automatically openin t e couplers to the trainpipe air when t e cou lers are connected.

Corresponding and like parts-are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same rcierence characters. U 1

11 carrying out my invention app to the car couplers 1 that may be ol any of the accepted or conventional types, depending hoods 2 secured to the'car couplers in any desired wa In each hood is a U-shaped buckle or stirrup 3 which is held therein by means of -.a bolt 4 extending therethrough andlon itudinally through the hood, as best seenin higs. 2, 3 and 4.. The stirrup 3 e1n braces and thereby supports the cross-bar of a yoke 5 which is formed on the upper end of a frame .like hanger 6. A' vertically movable scoop support 7 is provided with lower and upper rod like arms designated 8 and 9 respectively, the lower arm extending therefrom through an open' in the bottom of the suspension me or hanger 6 and movable freely therein and the upper arm 9. being movable freely through. a block 10 which is inserted in the hood in the upper part of the hanger. By this means, it will be understood that the hangler 6 is suspended in the hood 2 under neat the car coupler 1 and that the scoop carrying member or'holder 7, is mounted for a-limited up and down movement in the hanger 6, as well as fora limited rotary or sidewise movement therein, the sidewi movements being limited by means of wings 6 which projectrearwardly from the hanger 6, as clearly illustrated in the drawings. Each of these'vertically and rotatably mov-. able scoop-holders 7 is horizohtally'elongated as lndicated at 11 in Figs. 9 and 10 and in such portion of the scoop holder is formed a horizontally extending opening extending en'tirely therethrou'gh and designedto; receive with a .horizontally guiding movement the stem 120! ai sco0p"13.

,There are two of these scoops, as'shown arranged to coact witheacli other and guide the are arts roperly together when .two cars roug t together to bevcoupled. The

vlongitudinal movement of the scoop in its holder is limited in one direction by means of nuts or washers 14 preferably screwed on the rear reduced extremity of the stem 12 and locked thereon by means of a cotter pin as shown, and in another direction by means of a collar 15 secured to the front end of the elongated or body portion-11 of-the holder 7.

Each scoop I3 is formed with diverging members 16 and 17 designed to effect the 'upon and rocks a lever 21 which 1s fulcrumed in achamber 22 formedin the rearwardly projectin arm 23 of the scoop as best indicated in ig. 8. After the extremity of the tongue 18 has passed the lever 21, suchextremity rides upon the plane surface 24 of the arm 23, while the lever 21 is permitted to resume its normal position, owing to a recess 25 formed in the lower edge of the tongue.

The lever 21 is fulcrumed in a square-portion of a shaft 26 which is journaled in the arm 23 and which is best shown in detail ordetached in Fig. 7. The shaft 26 is formed with an angularly disposed arm 27 upon the free or lower end of which is formed a coupler member 28. Each of these coupler members is provided with a nipple 29 arranged to receive the end of a hose 30 leading from the train pipe, as best seen in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Each coupler member 28 is formed with a pin 31 and with a curved finger 32 designed to ride upon the pin of the complemental member, so as to insure the roper I mating of these parts when broug t to--' gether.

In the practical operation of so much of myinvention as has been hereinbefore described,it will be understood that when two cars are brought together to be coupled the scoops 13 will be guided one within the other,

with the arms 27 hanging freely down As the tongues 18 passthrough theopenings 20 in the scoops'and ride upon the levers 21,

such levers will obviously be rocked and the arms 27 will be raised as the come together so as to properly guide t e two cou ler Y members 28 into engagement with each ot er.

After the engagement has been effected, the

continued movement of thetongues 18 will bring their recesses 25 in r'egistry'with. the

upper ends of. the levers-21, and said levers w1 l be permitted to rock back to their original positions, which will consequently perointed extremity 19 mit the two engaged coupler members-28 to rock upon each other so as to effect a firm locking enga ement of the parts by their engaging sur aces. It will thus be seen that in the operation of automatically coupling the two coupler members 28, as the cars are con led together, said coupler members 28 are rought together in relatively raised positions and after the engagement are permitted by their own weight to drop or lower so as to 'efiect a firI'n locking connection with each other.

In addition to the means for automatically coupling up the hose connect-ions of the train pipe as the cars are brought together, my

,vention comprehends means for automat cally opening the cooks of the coupler members 28 when the cars are coupled andto this end I provide each couplermember 28 with an extended stem .33 of its angle cock or valve. On the stem. 33 a pinion 34 is mounted. A toothed segment35 mounted for a partial rotary movement on the coupler member 28 and projecting out to one side thereof, has its teeth mesh with the teeth of the pinion 35 and is formed atone end with a fork 36. the members of which diverge as is best seen in Fig. 7. Each coupler member is formed at one side with a pinion 37 and when the two coupler members are brought together the. pinion 37 of one of them will enter into thefork 36 of the other so that the subsequent lowering movement of the coupler members after they have become engaged with each other will effect the turning of the segment 35 and the consequent turning of the pinion 34 and the valve stem 33 so as to open the valve and establish communication between the train pipe of one car and the train pipe of the adjoining car.

38 designates pins that project outwardly from the forked ends of the toothed seg ments 35 and that are designed to strike against the corresponding scoops in case of accidental movement of the segment when the couplers are not connected.

Fig. 11 illustrates the positions of the two couplers after they have been connected together. From this view itwillbe understood that the pins 37 enter the forks 36 of the other couplers when the cou lers. are connected, the ends of the respective couplers riding over the pins 31- of the other coupler, and then after the couplers are permitted to lower by their own weight, supplemented by the air. pressure that is being turned on. by the lowering motion and the pin '31 will'ride up into the curved portionsof the respective couplers, and the two will be securely wedged together while atthe same time, the lowering motion will'turn the segments 35 so as to fully open the couplers to the air pressure.

When the cars are uncoupled, the scoop holders 11 will manifestly move away from.'

each other until they abut against the nuts' levers 21 and,-a':tter the tongues have passed the levers 21, the uncoupled coupler members 28 will fall downwardly again. During the movementjust described, of the arms 27 and coupler members 28, the toothed scoops above described automatically .cut oil? the air passage (it being understood that these scoops shut off the air when the couplers are. raised and turn it on when they go down) and when the arms 27 are in line with each other and ready to separate, the

' toothed scoop stays in position and the cou .It will be clear ler rodand'coupler together with the sti nessof the-hose makes the arms 27 drop back to their lower inclined'positions, with the couplers unhinged.

i rom the foregoing descrlptlon, in connection with the accompanymg drawings, that my improved .form .of coupler may be used with any other standardequipment', as the parts of my invention are not so materially altered from the standard form of hose coupler as to render its adaptation impractical.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: r 5

1. .In mechanism of the "character described, the combination of two coupler members, arms carrying the same, scoops by which said arms are/supported for vertical movement, means for support' said scoops, means carried by each scoop 1 or effectin the raising of the opposite am where y to bring the coupler members together in raised positions, and means for subsequently permitting said coupler mem- 7 bers to lower as and for the purpose set forth;

V lever of the opposing scoop as for the' 2..In mechanism of the jcharacter described, the combination of two mating coupler members, arms carrying the 'same,scoops by which said arms are sup rted for a ver-' tical movement, and levers 'lcrumed in the scoops and operatively connected to the arms, each scoop being provided with a tongue arranged for engagement with the purpose set forth. V p

3. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of two mating coupler members, arms carrying the same, scoops by which said arms are supported for a limitedmovement, levers fulcrumedin thg to sai to permit t therespective scoops and each arranged to rock the lever of the opposing scoop, each.

tongue beingl formed with a recess designed initial positions after actuation. V

4. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of two mating coupler members, vertically swinging arms carrying the same; scoops arran e to guide the arms towards'each other an supporting said arms, levers fulcrumed in the scoops,the scoops being provided with openings, means e.levers to rock back to their for supporting said scoops, and tongues secured to the respective scoops, 'each tongue being designed to pass through the opening of the opposing scoop into operative engage ment with the lever thereof.

- 5. In mechanism of the character 'described, the combination of two mating coupler members, vertically swinging arms carrying the same, scoops arranged o gagement with each other and adapted to guide the arms towards each other, each scoop being provided with a rearwardly extending arm, said arm beingformed with a. chamber and the scoop bei formed with an o ening communicating with said chamber, evers fulcrumed in said chambers, the

arms; being pivot-ally mounted in said chambers and operatively connected to said levers,

and tongues secured to the respective scoops,

each tongue being. designed to pass .thro h, the opening of the opposing scoop mto roc ing engagement with'the lever thereof, 6. In mechanism of the character. de-

scribed, the combination of mating cou ler jmembers,sooops from which said mem rs are suspended and by which they are arranged to be broughtinto engagement with each other, said scoops being. respectively provided with rearwardly extendingstems,

Scoop holders in which-said stems are mount ed for a longitudinalmovement, and hangers v in which theholders are mounted to turn laterally.

7; In mechanism of the character described, the combination 'of mating con ler members, scoops from which said mem rs are suspended-and by which they are ar-- ranged 'to' be brought into engagement with each other, said scoops bemg respectlvely provided with rearwardly extending stems,

scoop holders in which said stems are mounted for a longitudinal movement, and hangar:

in which said holders are mounted for a' vertical movement. I

members, scoops from which said mem rs are suspended and by which they are arranged to be brought into locking engagement with each other, said scoops being respectively, provided with rearwardly projecting stems, scoop holders in which said stems aremounted for a longitudinal movement, and hangers in which said holders are mounted for both a laterally turning and vertical movement.

v9. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of mating coupler members, scoops by which said members are suspended and by which they are adapted to be brought into locking engagement with each other, said scoops being respectively provided with rearwardly projecting'stems, scoo holders in which said stems are mounted or longitudinal movement, said holders being provided with upwardly and downwardly extending arms, and suspension hangers in which said holders are mounted, the arms of the holders being connected for a turning and upward and downward movement in the respective hangers.

10, In mechanism of the character described, the combination of hoods, suspension hangers, having their upper ends mounted in said hoods, and formed at such upper ends with yokes, stirrups secured in said hoods and engaging said yokes to suspend the hangers therefrom, scoop holders mounted in said hangers, scoops supported by said holders, and coupler members suspended from said scoops and adapted to be brought thereby into locking engagement with each other.

11. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of two coupler members, means for automatically bringing said members together into abutting relation with each other and for subsequently moving said couplers vertically whereby to of the train pipe air by and upon the vertical movement thereof.

12. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of two coupler members provided with valves, and with projecting valve stems, means for automatically bringing said couplers together into abutting relation with each other and for subsequently efiecting a turning movement of one coupler wit-h respect to the other, and means for turning said valves to the open position by and upon said turni movement, said valve opening means being connected with the projecting ends of the valve stems.

13. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of coupler members, means for automatically bringing said coupler members together into abutting relation with each other and for subsequently eifecting a turning movement of one. coupler relative to the other, said couplers being respectively provided with valves with pro jecting valve stems, pinions mounted on the ends of said stems, toothed segments carried by the coupler members and meshing with the respective pinions, said segments bei formed with forked ends, and pins carri dd by the coupler members and deslgnedto enter the forked ends of the segments of the opposing coupler. and engage therewith, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimon whereof I aflix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

CHARLIE W. RHODES. [L.,s.]

Witnesses:

A. O. BURKS, T. F. AMOLE. 

